In the past, it has been known to attempt fuel management at airports using a more or less decentralized approach. An example of such is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,376,495, which shows and describes a system that collects data with a hand-held computer (the so-called fueling agent client device) and forwards it to a local server (the “fuel management server” 102).
As shown in FIG. 1 of the U.S. Pat. No. 7,376,495 and as described in its specification, the system taught by the patent is a client-server arrangement in which the server 102 collects information from an external airline computer system, collects data from the client device, and makes management fueling decisions as required by the fueling agent client device (the master device).
The U.S. Pat. No. 7,376,495 further describes that the local server's database is a local “master” database and is regularly synchronized with the airline's database. Because the airline's data can change frequently and quickly, the synchronization is carried out very frequently (on the order of every few seconds or so).
Thus, according to the U.S. Pat. No. 7,376,495, the system disclosed therein uses a local server at the airport and the local server creates and maintains its own database of information for that airport. The local server does the computing and sends the fueling confirmation message to an ACARS radio relay system to relay it on to the pilot in the cockpit. Periodically (very frequently, actually), the local database has to be synchronized with the airline computer system. Indeed, the '495 patent states “The fuel management server 102 stores its own copy of the fuel planning information and flight information (e.g., in database 118). The fuel management server 102 periodically synchronizes its local copy of the fuel planning information and flight information with updated information from the airline computer system”.
An unfortunate side effect of using a local server in this way is that it requires a separate server for each airport. If the airlines were operating at just one or two airports, such might be practical. But it becomes problematic if a large number of airports are involved. In practice there can be hundreds of airports for a given fleet operator (like an airline), leading to substantial complexity and difficulties.
This local server arrangement leads to significant unreliability. As the number of airports being serviced by such a system grows for a single airline operating such a system, the number of synchronizations going on begins to become unwieldy, leading to frequent downtime as data discrepancies between the databases and/or communication conflicts bring one or more systems off-line. For example, at the time of filing this patent application, at least one airline operates at hundreds of airports and utilizes a Varec, Inc. system in keeping with the U.S. Pat. No. 7,376,495. To use the patented system for such an airline means that there are hundreds of servers connected to the airline computer system, with each server attempting to synchronize its local database on a more or less steady basis. Such an implementation can lead to a substantial reliability issue for the airline.
Accordingly, it can be seen that there exists a need for a fuel management system that is highly reliable. It is to the provision of solutions to this and other problems that the present invention is primarily directed.